How do you justify the cost?

[hkkatie]

OP here again.

Thank you for all of your comments. I have a few questions, though. When are you most likely to find good deals? Does DW have a cycle, you know like grocery stores? lol. The only time we can go is at the end of July or first half of August. I know that's the worst time, crowd wise, but it's our only option. What are the chances of us finding good deals on a hotel room? Do they ever do free dining during the summer? I was under the impression that we would have to book far in advance, but should I put off booking until only a few months before our trip in order to find better deals? And is it more cost effective to book packages or book things separately?

Is it possible to go for a whole week w/out having any "down days" where you're not in the park? Two years ago when I took my girls to DL/DCA we went for only two days and we felt like our feet were going to fall off by the end of the 2nd day! (and yes, we were wearing comfortable, broken in tennis shoes). But if we could save money by not taking any days "off", thus shortening our stay, that's what we would do.

The reason why we, (I), wanted to go off site is because I don't know if we'll ever go to FL again, so wanted to go see the Harry Potter world at IoA, and also thought it would be fun to go to the Gulf Coast for a few days, and go to Kennedy Space Center. Also, our trip is long because I scheduled a few "down days" mixed in for us to rest our feet! If we cut out Harry Potter and the beach and the space center, then of course we could probably save at least $1k, which is good, but then we are losing a couple of things that we really wanted to do. With that said, I know we'll have more than enough fun if we just stay onsite.

Maybe I'll have to compromise with dh and cut down our trip (=cutting cost) if we can think about going again in a few years to do the other things...

 

[kkmcan]

I would say instead of having down days to have down afternoons. We always leave the park, go back to the hotel to rest and refresh and eat dinner. It has to be at least 4 hours of down time for me. Then we go back to the park when its cooler out and see the nighttime shows.

You might still need a down day even doing that so plan for 1 day in the middle of your trip to totally relax and stay off your feet.

 

[averysn]

I say I for it We personally only go every 2-3 years so we save up and use tax returns, etc to pay for it. We are not the type to splurge on the more expensive hotels...we figure were going to spend most of our time at the parks or exploring the resorts anyway, so why pay more just to sleep! We also scout out good deals (free dining, room discount, whatever helps!) and found other ways to save money like buying discounted tickets or renting a vacation club like someone else mentioned. This year we are going for 11 days and staying at a value resort with free dining. It's me, my husband and our 1 year old daughter. The trip is going to cost us about $3k which is a lot for us, but we figure its the only time well get to go only paying for 2 rather then 3 (just like you only paying for 4 rather then 6) plus it will be the first time to show our daughter the magic of Disney which makes it all worth it! We also figure in the end it's not much more then an all inclusive trip or a cruise (which are the other trips we enjoy), so why not go to Disney?! We also only do a bigger, more expensive trip once every couple of years and smaller trips in between so we can splurge and enjoy ourselves on the big trips! Just do some research...there is TONS of info out there about ways to save money and cut some corners while still having an amazing trip!!!

 

[nugov2]

We justify it because we have the extra money to spend. I guess the way we justify anything we consider a want. One suggestion I have is to stay off property. For us it isn't about saving the money(we are still budgeting $5,000 for 7 days just putting our savings on where we stay into activities), but about the space. I know it is a deal breaker for some, but staying on site with 3 small children is a deal breaker for me. I wouldn't stay in a hotel for more than 2 nights with the ages I have and I will not have less than 3 bedrooms for longer stays. We have our own pool, lots of space to stretch out and can take a very leisurely vacation...1 day at the park one day to relax poolside crowd free(another perk for us...I cannot stand them, but know to enjoy certain activities it is a necessary evil ) or enjoy other things Florida has to offer. We are not the type of family to go around park to park sun up to sun down everyday of a vacation either. You could stay offsite and hit the parks everyday though and also save money by heading back to the house for dinner and eat breakfast before you leave if you don't want to schedule lots of TS meals.

 

[rt2dz]

OP here again.

Thank you for all of your comments. I have a few questions, though. When are you most likely to find good deals? Does DW have a cycle, you know like grocery stores? lol. The only time we can go is at the end of July or first half of August. I know that's the worst time, crowd wise, but it's our only option. What are the chances of us finding good deals on a hotel room? Do they ever do free dining during the summer? I was under the impression that we would have to book far in advance, but should I put off booking until only a few months before our trip in order to find better deals? And is it more cost effective to book packages or book things separately?

Is it possible to go for a whole week w/out having any "down days" where you're not in the park? Two years ago when I took my girls to DL/DCA we went for only two days and we felt like our feet were going to fall off by the end of the 2nd day! (and yes, we were wearing comfortable, broken in tennis shoes). But if we could save money by not taking any days "off", thus shortening our stay, that's what we would do.

The reason why we, (I), wanted to go off site is because I don't know if we'll ever go to FL again, so wanted to go see the Harry Potter world at IoA, and also thought it would be fun to go to the Gulf Coast for a few days, and go to Kennedy Space Center. Also, our trip is long because I scheduled a few "down days" mixed in for us to rest our feet! If we cut out Harry Potter and the beach and the space center, then of course we could probably save at least $1k, which is good, but then we are losing a couple of things that we really wanted to do. With that said, I know we'll have more than enough fun if we just stay onsite.

Maybe I'll have to compromise with dh and cut down our trip (=cutting cost) if we can think about going again in a few years to do the other things...

Yes, you can go a whole week without taking any off days, but if you were exhausted at DL after 2days, I don't think that is for you. There is way more to do at WDW; it's a lot larger.

I would book far in advance. If onsite, you can always add a discount later. But, to be honest, I think an offsite location might be better for you. Having a full kitchen would save you money. Checkout www.skyauction.com and www.sniqueaway.com. Both have great Orlando deals right now. Also look at www.vacationcentralflorida.com. And, checkout www.vrbo.com.

To give you a better idea of what you are getting into, go to www.mousesavers.com and sign up for the newsletter. Same for www.allears.net. Also, buy a copy of The UnOfficial Guide to Walt Disney World. For airfare, start looking at www.yapta.com and www.airfarewatchdog.com.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Disneyforus]

OP here again.

Thank you for all of your comments. I have a few questions, though. When are you most likely to find good deals? Does DW have a cycle, you know like grocery stores? lol. The only time we can go is at the end of July or first half of August. I know that's the worst time, crowd wise, but it's our only option. What are the chances of us finding good deals on a hotel room? Do they ever do free dining during the summer? I was under the impression that we would have to book far in advance, but should I put off booking until only a few months before our trip in order to find better deals? And is it more cost effective to book packages or book things separately?

Is it possible to go for a whole week w/out having any "down days" where you're not in the park? Two years ago when I took my girls to DL/DCA we went for only two days and we felt like our feet were going to fall off by the end of the 2nd day! (and yes, we were wearing comfortable, broken in tennis shoes). But if we could save money by not taking any days "off", thus shortening our stay, that's what we would do.

The reason why we, (I), wanted to go off site is because I don't know if we'll ever go to FL again, so wanted to go see the Harry Potter world at IoA, and also thought it would be fun to go to the Gulf Coast for a few days, and go to Kennedy Space Center. Also, our trip is long because I scheduled a few "down days" mixed in for us to rest our feet! If we cut out Harry Potter and the beach and the space center, then of course we could probably save at least $1k, which is good, but then we are losing a couple of things that we really wanted to do. With that said, I know we'll have more than enough fun if we just stay onsite.

Maybe I'll have to compromise with dh and cut down our trip (=cutting cost) if we can think about going again in a few years to do the other things...

That sounds like the trip we did last May, except for Kennedy Space Center. We went to Clearwater Marina and saw Winter the dolphin from Dolphin tale and also did Lego Land.

If you really want to do everything you mentioned, I would definately look into offsite. Bonnet Creek is in the Disney Bubble right behind Epcot so you are still super close to everything. It compares to a moderate or deluxe as far as accomodations and amenities. They have a shuttle to the parks, it is $5 per peson per day. You will have lots of space to stretch out and save money by having the full kitchen for some meals in the villa. They have grills we always make sure to take advantage of.
Down days could be spent hanging out at the resort, they have several pools, lazy river, mini golf, game room, kid activities, movie nights, alligator demo etc...It's a timeshare villa so you will have to book through an owner...you can look on EBAY, VRBO, or Vacation Strategies.com to book a stay.

Buy your park tickets through Undercover Tourist after signing up for the Mousavers Newsletter online. There will be a link to get park tickets. OR you can look at Disney YES program (youth educational services) under individual enrollment for classes that Disney does and then be able to purchase discounted park tickets. (we are saving about $550 on our next trips tickets)

Sign up for Alamo insiders or whatever your car rental agency of choice is and book a car a few months out from your trip...then keep watching every week for a drop in price, cancel and rebook....keep doing this right up to your departure and chances are you will get a good deal.

Buy airfare when it's cheap of course, and do that first...book your stay around the cheapest airfare you can get.

Hope that helps!

 

[Disneyforus]

I buy the best discount, as long as I don't o over what I want. Use the ticket once, then upgrade the bridged ticket to what I want (usually APs for adults, WP&f PH for kids).

Hey, can you give me more info on this? Is it cheaper? I'm trying to understand Is the price to upgrade different than the original price to buy them?
Thanks

 

[Marionnette]

OP here again.

Thank you for all of your comments. I have a few questions, though. When are you most likely to find good deals? Does DW have a cycle, you know like grocery stores? lol. The only time we can go is at the end of July or first half of August. I know that's the worst time, crowd wise, but it's our only option. What are the chances of us finding good deals on a hotel room?

Disney almost always offers some sort of room discount, except during periods of extremely high attendance like Christmas and Easter. At the very least, there should be AAA discounts available next summer but they won't be announced until after the rack rates and packages for 2014 are made public.

Do they ever do free dining during the summer?

It would be unusual for a free dining offer to come out for the general public for your dates. Disney does not typically need to offer steep discounts during those times.

I was under the impression that we would have to book far in advance, but should I put off booking until only a few months before our trip in order to find better deals?

Disney doesn't offer last-minute deals. You're better off booking when discounts are announced for your dates. Procrastinating will only result in limiting your selection of resorts and room locations.

And is it more cost effective to book packages or book things separately?

That varies from one family to the next and from one offer to the next. There is no pat answer for that question. Everyone needs to crunch the numbers for themselves to determine the best deal for their family.

Is it possible to go for a whole week w/out having any "down days" where you're not in the park? Two years ago when I took my girls to DL/DCA we went for only two days and we felt like our feet were going to fall off by the end of the 2nd day! (and yes, we were wearing comfortable, broken in tennis shoes). But if we could save money by not taking any days "off", thus shortening our stay, that's what we would do.

I would never attempt to take a commando approach to touring WDW for a week, especially during the hot, humid days of July and August! You will exhaust yourself and the kids. Everyone will end up crabby and unhappy. It's a good idea not to even try to compare DL with WDW. WDW is HUGE in comparison.

However, people do it all of the time because they want to "get their money's worth" out of every day.

The reason why we, (I), wanted to go off site is because I don't know if we'll ever go to FL again, so wanted to go see the Harry Potter world at IoA, and also thought it would be fun to go to the Gulf Coast for a few days, and go to Kennedy Space Center. Also, our trip is long because I scheduled a few "down days" mixed in for us to rest our feet! If we cut out Harry Potter and the beach and the space center, then of course we could probably save at least $1k, which is good, but then we are losing a couple of things that we really wanted to do. With that said, I know we'll have more than enough fun if we just stay onsite.

All of those extra trips sound like a lot of fun and if you have the time, they would be great respite from the hectic park days. However, you're the only one who can determine if spending an additional $1K is worth the experiences. At some point, we all have to compromise on our vacation plans. Set a list of your vacation priorities in the order of your preference and then go down the list until you exhaust your budget. Anything below that point on the list is something that you will have to put off until a later visit.

Maybe I'll have to compromise with dh and cut down our trip (=cutting cost) if we can think about going again in a few years to do the other things...

This is what gets me through the "we're leaving Disney blues" that sets in on the last day of every trip. I repeat "I will be back" over and over again while I'm sitting on the Magic Express.

 

[samacita]

OP here again.

Thank you for all of your comments. I have a few questions, though. When are you most likely to find good deals? Does DW have a cycle, you know like grocery stores? lol. The only time we can go is at the end of July or first half of August. I know that's the worst time, crowd wise, but it's our only option. What are the chances of us finding good deals on a hotel room? Do they ever do free dining during the summer? I was under the impression that we would have to book far in advance, but should I put off booking until only a few months before our trip in order to find better deals? And is it more cost effective to book packages or book things separately?

Is it possible to go for a whole week w/out having any "down days" where you're not in the park? Two years ago when I took my girls to DL/DCA we went for only two days and we felt like our feet were going to fall off by the end of the 2nd day! (and yes, we were wearing comfortable, broken in tennis shoes). But if we could save money by not taking any days "off", thus shortening our stay, that's what we would do.

The reason why we, (I), wanted to go off site is because I don't know if we'll ever go to FL again, so wanted to go see the Harry Potter world at IoA, and also thought it would be fun to go to the Gulf Coast for a few days, and go to Kennedy Space Center. Also, our trip is long because I scheduled a few "down days" mixed in for us to rest our feet! If we cut out Harry Potter and the beach and the space center, then of course we could probably save at least $1k, which is good, but then we are losing a couple of things that we really wanted to do. With that said, I know we'll have more than enough fun if we just stay onsite.

Maybe I'll have to compromise with dh and cut down our trip (=cutting cost) if we can think about going again in a few years to do the other things...

You could save some money by getting a hotel in Tampa/Clearwater for your Universal and gulf coast days. You'll definitely find something cheaper there than at WDW.

 

[purpledisneyprncess]

I am a WDW newbie. I've been to DL/DCA a couple of times with my 2 girls, (1 and 2 day trips), but we've never been to WDW. DH and I have been contemplating taking our kids to WDW next summer (2014), but after doing some research, the price seems really prohibitive. When you add up air fare, hotel, tickets, food, car rental for a few days to go off site, etc, it's nearing $5k! For those of you who go regularly, how can you afford this? I assume you aren't taking 10 day trips each time, but still... We really want to go but I don't know when we'll be able to justify that kind of money for a 10 day trip.

Thoughts?

ETA: those costs take into account value or moderate priced hotels and only 5-6 days of park tickets, not hopper.

Okay, here is how we justify it (To ourselves and then my mom and dad when they ask about it). We see friends & family all the time spending money on daily things that we try to be real careful of not doing too frequently. Ex: My one friend takes her kids to Burger King and Chuck E Cheese a lot, goes to the mall and each trip the kids have to buy a toy or video game, and get mall food. We (DH and I) I do that once in a while for our kids, but for most part we don't. We also are careful what we buy in general- so with all that said, we justify our Disney trips by saving and being careful about spending all throughout the year. Rather than buying stuff that they really don't need, we save for our Disney trip. We then have a good amount of $ saved, to where if we want to go to Disney it isn't a big deal.

Now, onto how we go for less so we can go more often:
** Either stay at a DTD hotel, literally 2 minutes walking distance from DTD. OR like we are doing this year, trying out Pop.
** Driving cuts down costs - and this year I bought gas cards and it turned out to be 20% off Shell gift cards at my local grocer. Although I do realize that not everyone can drive. Keep checking airlines for prices and if you see a great price, book it! The prices tend to flucuate a lot, never can determine if that price will come back down again.
** B/c we are driving, we will bring food for breakfast, snacks, case of water.
** We bought our park tickets on Orbitz- great deal. Saved us $200 as opposed to buying thru Disney. We opted to not get park hopper. 2nd Disney trip we got park hopper and it burnt us out. 1 park a day for our fam is better. You could always get through Orbitz/ebates if the price is right. Or go through Undercover Tourist. OR if you go when they have free dining, that might be good for you too.
** Bringing gift cards for kids to shop for souviners. Gift cards purchased by grammie/pop. And if you have a Target card, you can get 5% off Disney g/cards.

Sorry this was so long!

 

[hkkatie]

Thank you all very much for your detailed responses! I need to do more research and hopefully figure out a way to make our trip more affordable. I appreciate all of your insight and advice!

 

[nugov2]

We are staying in Windsor Hills...so close you can view the fireworks. If you want Disney theming(something I really wanted) the Storytime properties in Windsor Hills are great. We haven't been yet(we head out in a couple of weeks), so I cannot officially report. Just another option to help keep the Disney Magic along with the pocketbook magic

http://storytimeorlandorental.com/video-photos/?album=8&gallery=11

 

[AntePrincess]

LOL, I'll tell you how we're justifying our next trip to WDW, but I'm hoping not everyone is in the same boat:

When DH and I got married we were just kids starting out. There were babies and expenses, so we had a cake and punch wedding that cost us less than $100 (church, nice white sundress I already owned, etc), house sitting a historic family home for a honeymoon, etc. So we're 'justifying' our next trip to WDW as the honeymoon we never had and we're socking money away so we can paint the town red.

As for traveling in general, we are usually budget travelers with an emphasis on visiting family and camping, but we justify the costs because it's about making memories with our kids which is one of our highest priorities. I think it's worth it, we just try to live within our means, which it sounds like you're doing OP, so I'm with everyone who encourages you to let yourself enjoy this trip without too much worrying about the cost. Have fun!

 

[CharmingElla]

Wow! There's a lot of good info on this thread!

 

[Disneyaddictz]

Justify!? To who, my money my buisness, don't justify anything save save save and then have a blast!

 

[married2mm]

Justify!? To who, my money my buisness, don't justify anything save save save and then have a blast!

I totally agree,our money,our choice.

We're delighted we have been able to visit wdw 10 times.
Ranging from 12 nights to 15.
7 offsite stays,3 onsite.

Our biggest expense by far are the flights,next year we have paid over $6000 so to enable us to still be able to visit we're staying offsite again.

 

[monorailsilver]

We justify it by not going every year. We were going every 3 years for a while and after our last trip in 2008, my Dh said 4 years and He said we could go for an extra day or 2. I said ok. But then we got flooded and needed to replace the carpet so we got tile that cost us a Disney vacation and I made the decision to wait another year. So this is the year.

We have been saving our change since 2008. Sold a few things and that money went into the Disney fund.

I have the Disney visa and various Disney gift cards that total around $1000. So that will be used for food.

We are a family of 5 and I do stay at the poly but regular garden view room. Oh and I also ship down breakfast which cuts down the cost as well time in the am.

We are going for 10 days but only into the parks for 5 days. I do get park hoppers. We don't do a park on arrival or departure day and will have 3 additional days off, one we will go to a water park the other 2 at the pool/DtD.

I actually change the time frame of my trip this year because there was a better discount thru a TA earlier in the month then later which was when we were going to go.

 

[texasroni75]

We aren't "regulars" but I can justify our trips to WDW this way: Park hoppers are equal to or LESS than the cost for a day at the Six Flags and the large Waterpark that are a 1.5 hour drive from our home - AND - WDW is cleaner, safer and the wait times are actually shorter for the rides than the closer parks. In between our trips to WDW we take smaller, inexpensive day trips at least twice a year. Zoos, museums, ice cream factories, and just sightseeing within 4-5 hours from home.

We are not wealthy and we choose our WDW trips to get the most for our money. We have a "Mickey Jar" that we throw our spare change into to help us save. We budget carefully, and we NEVER use credit cards to float our vacations - if we can't come up with the cash, we don't do the trip!

 

[laceemouse]

Thank you all very much for your detailed responses! I need to do more research and hopefully figure out a way to make our trip more affordable. I appreciate all of your insight and advice!

I do have a question for you. How old are you other kids? I ask because while the Harry Potter stuff at US/IOA is cool there is not much at those parks that little kids can do. It is a lot of coasters and thrill rides. Be prepared to be sitting on a bench all day with your toddlers. NASA is pretty boring for little ones too.

I would stay at Art of Animation in a family suite, use Magical Express and NOT rent a car, and get a room discount through Disney (they have them pretty much all the time)

But how do you justify it is a very personal question. I know for some people, especially dads, they trip could be $500 and they would STILL think it was not worth it. We that love it justify it by looking at how much joy it brings us. I don't $5,000 is much money at all for a family to have 10 days of vacation fun

 

[bumbershoot]

I do have a question for you. How old are you other kids? I ask because while the Harry Potter stuff at US/IOA is cool there is not much at those parks that little kids can do. It is a lot of coasters and thrill rides. Be prepared to be sitting on a bench all day with your toddlers.[\QUOTE]

The awesome playgrounds at both parks there would disagree. The soft ball play area behind the Curious George water play spot is awesome and I wish DS could have experienced it as a toddler. So much to do other than sit on a bench. Plus their child swap is done inside the lines, so families don't have to separate as early as they do at wdw.